The Questions - GENERAL
- When will Force of Arms be released?
- When will the Beta for Force of Arms be ready?
- So is there anything to download?
- Where do I download Force of Arms?
- What is the phased release approach?
- Is Force of Arms a MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game)?
- Where does Force of Arms take place?
- What is the goal in Force of Arms?
- SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS
- How many people can play at once?
- How many server clusters (also called servers and shards)?
- How and why just one server?
- System Requirements:
- Does Multiverse support 64-bit Windows?
Does Multiverse support localized (non-English) versions of Windows? - What about other platforms, like Macintosh and Linux?
- What type of Internet connection will I need?
- Will there be Voice Chat?
- ENVIRONMENT
- What is the map size of the world?
- Is that too big of a game world?
- But even still, how can such a map be populated with content?
- Is the whole planet a barren desert?
- What are the specifications of the planet I'll be playing on?
- Can players name landmarks?
- Can players create Points of Interests (POI)?
- PRICING AND MILESTONES
- So how much is this going to cost?
- And Flex-Spending is...?
- Will there be Free to Play (F2P) or the option to do so?
- If there is going to be Free to Play, then are there going to be Game Shopping Malls?
- With Force of Arms being released in Phases, will the Expansions cost money?
- How long have you people been developing Force of Arms?
- Why build a Mech game when there is (insert name of game system here) that is being developed or released?
- COMBAT SYSTEM
- So how about some examples of your combat system?
- What was that?! Death Penalty! That will ruin the game, no one will play it!
- So what are the penalties for death?
- Will there be Player Vs Player (PvP) and Player Vs Environment (PvE)?
- CHARACTERS
- How many characters do I control?
- Do I have to be aligned with a Faction?
- MECHS (Mechanized Armor)
- So can you tell me about the Mechs?
- How will you be involved in the Mech/Mod community?
- Will there be Transformable Mechs?
The Answers 1. GENERAL - When will Force of Arms be released?
Force of Arms will be released in different phases. We are not able to provide a firm estimate on the initial release date at this time. Back to top.
- When will the Beta for Force of Arms be ready?
No firm dates as of yet. If we did give one, most likely expect there to be delays, or so that is how it goes in the industry. Back to top.
- So is there anything to download?
Actually yes, well in the month of April of 2008. Force of Arms is part of the Worlds In Progress (WIP) with The Multiverse Networks. User will be able to download the working WIP and see how the progress is moving along. This can be considered as a form of Open Testing and Demonstration. Back to top.
- Where do I download Force of Arms?
The Force of Arms WIP can be downloaded via The Multiverse Networks. The first step is to download the Multiverse Client, which the process (and download) can be found at this link: http://www.multiverse.net/consumer/gettingstarted.jsp?cid=1&scid=0 Assuming the client has been installed and is functional, the next step would be to launch the Multiverse Client, login with the new account and then select Force of Arms from the WIP dropdown list. Afterwards, the Force of Arms Launcher Pad will fire up and download the game files. Back to top.
- What is the phased release approach?
Force of Arms will plans to release content in different steps to reach the end goal of a massive online world. Rather than release everything at once and lacking content or certain game mechanics, we are opting to release features of Force of Arms as they become more polished and we plan to continually expand upon the features and content of the game. Force of Arms is viewed as an evolving project and we intend to continually expand upon the game in numerous directions. Back to top.
- Is Force of Arms a MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game)?
Well that question cannot be answered in a straightforward answer. The reasons are that as more games are released, the definition of a MMORPG keeps changing. For example, there is a stereotypical belief that MMORPG's are "hack and slash grinding fests," which is to say, that such games seem to have been made just to keep people on their computers repeating simply actions in the hopes of advancing their characters to such a high level that the character can then go on to do something else… which tends to be of more grinding. However, there are those games out there that are not designed in such a manner, but tend to lack the "Role-Playing", being more of a MMOG (Massive Multiplayer Online Game). Back to top.
- So how does Force of Arms fit in with this?
Force of Arms is to grow over time, starting off a Mech vs. Mech combat game system to a full blown massive role-playing game universe. Force of Arms will not be developed as other major Massive Multi-player Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG), which requires 3 to 5 years of development with no revenue income and a budget in the multi-millions. FOA will be developed in phases, expanding during operation. Additionally, MMORPG's tend to be static in nature and the acronym itself is unpronounceable. The trend in the industry has been to tack on an additional letter to an already oversized acronym. Back to top.
- Where does Force of Arms take place?
The initial release of Force of Arms takes place on one barren planet that is in the process of being terra-formed. Forty years have passed since humans were no longer able to use Faster-Than-Light (FTL) technology. The reason for this is unknown. Due to the break down of communications, the central corporate government has fallen, allowing powers to attempt to take control of the planet. The main fighting machine is the Mech. Over time, Force of Arms will open up to include many star systems and space travel. Back to top.
- What is the goal in Force of Arms?
For the initial release of Force of Arms, players are to attempt to increase their wealth, reputation, quality of equipment, and expand the faction that they are in service with. There is the ability for players to be neutral or play multiple sides, essentially mercenaries. Additionally for those players that prefer the engineering aspects or adventure, the game does have two "end games"; the completion of terra-forming the planet and rediscovering Faster Than Light technology. Force of Arms is to provide content for Combatants, Engineers, Socializers, and Adventurers. Back to top.
2. SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS - How many people can play at once?
Thousands of screaming, rabid Mech fans, just like you.
There is no limitation to the number of players that can be online at any one time. Back to top.
- How many server clusters (also called servers and shards)?
One Back to top.
- How and why just one server?
The Multiverse Platform allows for this for one. The other is in order to provide a dynamic story and environment in which players can impact, requires one server cluster. Administrating multiple server clusters will become a nightmare over time as to where the story is at… and then if we were to publish books or web films, which server cluster's story do we use? Essentially the canon of Force of Arms will be derived from players, and thus there can only be one sever cluster. Back to top.
- System Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP
Processor: Pentium 4 with 1GHz or greater (2GHz recommended)
RAM: 512 MB (1 GB+ recommended)
Video Card: DirectX 9 compatible. Pixel shader and vertex shader compatible hardware with 128MB of texture memory (256MB recommended)
Sound Card: DirectSound compatible audio hardware Back to top.
- Does Multiverse support 64-bit Windows?
Yes, the Multiverse World Browser supports 64-bit Windows. Back to top.
- Does Multiverse support localized (non-English) versions of Windows?
Yes, the Multiverse World Browser and tools support localized installations of Windows. Back to top.
- What about other platforms, like Macintosh and Linux?
Support for other platforms is on the roadmap. Back to top.
- What type of Internet connection will I need?
You should have a broadband connection, such as DSL, Cable, or better. Back to top.
- Will there be Voice Chat?
Yes Back to top.
3. ENVIRONMENT - What is the map size of the world?
4,000 km by 4,000km at a 1:1 scale; about 1/3rd the size of Earth. Back to top.
- Is that too big of a game world?
In the traditional sense, yes; however, players are not going to be allowed to freely go anywhere at a whim. There are fuel requirements, even Fusion Engines burn fuel, so the distance available to travel is based on the fuel tanks and supply centers. Back to top.
- But even still, how can such a map be populated with content?
Random seeding generation and random encounters are examples, but most of the frontier is going to open rather than populated every 25 meters with a monster, person or nest. Though this seems to make for a boring world, this does allow players greater opportunities to create their own secrete bases. Back to top.
- Is the whole planet a barren desert?
No, there is an ice polar region down south. Also the planet is capable of being terraformed into a hospitable planet, but that depends on you, the player, to decide how that occurs. Back to top.
- What are the specifications of the planet I'll be playing on?
Star System and Planetary Information: | Star Name: | K-9WD | | Type: | Orange Giant | | Stellar Mass: | 0.90 Solar Masses | | Stellar Luminosity: | 0.45 | | Magnitude: | 1.35 | | Spectrum: | K1V | | Age: | 5.600 billion years (14.400 billion left on main sequence) | | Habitable Ecosphere Radius: | 0.671 AU | | Planet Name: | K-9WD Gamma (subject to change based on player voting) | | Type: | Standard-G, Cold, Icy, Arid, Cloudless, Unbreathable thin atmosphere | | Distance from star: | 1.3E+008 KM | 0.890 AU | | Mass: | 1.5E+024Kg | 0.254 Earth masses | | Surface gravity: | 948.4 cm/sec2 | 0.97 Earth gees | | Surface pressure: | 204 millibars | 0.202 Earth atmospheres | | Surface temperature: | -13.4° Celsius | -27.4° C Earth temperature | | | 7.8° Fahrenheit | -49.4° F Earth temperature | | +28.0° C greenhouse effect | | Normal temperature range: | Night | Day | | | -30.9° C | 3.5° C | | -23.7° F | 38.3° F | | Min | Max | | -57.6° C | 29.2° C | | -71.7° F | 84.6° F | | Equatorial Radius: | 4,000km | 0.63 Earth radii | | Density: | 5.38 grams/cc | 0.98 Earth densities | | Eccentricity of orbit: | 0.030 | Earth: 0.0167 | | Escape Velocity: | 10.8 Km/sec | | Molecular weight retained: | 7.9 and above N, O, CH4, NH3, H2O, Ne, N2, CO... | | Axial tilt: | 22° | Earth: 23.4° | | Planetary Albedo: | 36% | Earth: 30% | (reflection of EM radiation)
| Exospheric Temperature:
| 1000.74° K | -272.26° C Earth temperature | | (temperature at upper most layer of the atmosphere) | Length of day:
| 18.41 hours | | (one full rotation based on Earth Standard Time (EST)) | | Length of year: | 421.27 Local days
| 323.15 Earth days | | (one complete orbit around the star) | | Hydrosphere Percentage: | 0% | (water coverage)
| | Cloud Cover Percentage: | 0.4% | | Ice Cover Percentage: | 22% | | Satellites: | 2 |
- Can players name landmarks?
Yes Back to top.
- Can players create Points of Interests (POI)?
We are allowing players to provide input for POI's to be added into the game. The following link is the thread in the forums of where users can provide POI's. http://www.forceofarms.com/msgbbs/index.php?topic=31.0 Back to top.
4. PRICING AND MILESTONES - So how much is this going to cost?
Force of Arms will be subscription base (per month); however the subscription fee will be flexible; or called Flex-Spending. The expected pricing will be below the average market pricing.
The cost of the client will be available for free. Back to top.
- And Flex-Spending is...?
Flex-Spending is that there will be a base subscription fee for a low amount. A customer may pay more of a subscription for more perks. The amount of perks is not considered as major advantages. Back to top.
- Will there be Free to Play (F2P) or the option to do so?
We are looking into the possibility of allowing players to choose a F2P option. Back to top.
- If there is going to be Free to Play, then are there going to be Game Shopping Malls?
There will be no Game Shopping Malls that provide game impacting items for real world money. There may be Game Shopping Malls that will sell items for real money, but those items will have no impact to combat, crafting or abilities. These items would be of things that people just want to have, because of how they look or something of those lines. For example, real world popular designer sunglasses. Sure players can create their own sunglasses or not even bother having them, so their effect is purely for having the name brand and being unique. Back to top.
- With Force of Arms being released in Phases, will the Expansions cost money?
No. The expansions of Force Arms during its phases will have no cost. And changing to different phases will be of no added cost either. Back to top.
- How long have you people been developing Force of Arms?
Well that is a good question, really. The Mech system has been in development off and on for over 10 years. Originally designed for the table-top with paper, pencil and dice; the game system was too complex and time consuming. Generally for every Mech on the board, the game time was an additional hour. Therefore 4 Mechs on the board would mean that the game would take four hours to play out. The Mech system is ideal for a computerized environment and with the advent of online gaming; the ability to play this system in a comfortable amount of time is possible. The actual development time for the Force of Arms game system as an online game system started roughly two years ago by a bunch of gamers who were dissatisfied with the current sci-fi online RPG's available on the market. The first year was of brainstorming of game content and rules. This was the phase to determine if such a game would become possible or be just one of those, "great idea of a game" groups that last roughly two months. The second year consisted of business development and planning. During this year, the group determined that it was possible to make such a game and actually succeed in doing so. The coming third year will be one of actually developing the game into code and launching it. Due to the currently development process, the game will be released following the Phased Approach Model, or can be referred to as taking baby steps. Back to top.
- Why build a Mech game when there is (insert name of game system here) that is being developed or released?
Force of Arms is to be a sophisticated game system, which is not aimed for the mass market. To get a better understanding of the level of sophistication that is to be used, please take a read of one or more of the Mech specifications in the Concept page. From past experiences, any other game that is in development or about to be released has either been canceled or has not obtained the level of sophistication we are looking at. (Example: Gundam Online, expected to be a popular Mech MMO, but was canceled). The other point is that Force of Arms is considered an entertainment system and not just a game. We will be blending in additional forms of media with the game system. Back to top.
- But if the game is too realistic or complex, no one is going to play it right?
That is true in a sense, and so Force of Arms will not be a completely realistic game. There are measures in place to allow a player to determine the amount of sophistication and options they would like. We're looking at a system that is challenging to play and makes player's think. The system will not be "dumbed down" or provide instant gratification. "Play smarter, not harder." Back to top.
5. COMBAT SYSTEM - So how about some examples of your combat system?
- Radars have arcs and certain ranges depending on the system being used and the level of technology.
- Radars follow line of sight rules
- Multiple Hit Locations
- Armor has both properties of stopping penetration and taking damage.
- The penetration value of a weapon decreases over range.
- Skill based system with no professions or classes: The HERO System.
- Starting characters are considered average and can actually do things well, instead of being helpless infants.
- Death Penalty Back to top.
- What was that?! Death Penalty! That will ruin the game, no one will play it!
There is a good amount of people that would like to see death of a character have some impact, rather than just a delay in time. Implementing Death Penalties will give players a sense of fear, which other online game systems generally cannot provide. Additionally, players can really play as heroes. Back to top.
- So what are the penalties for death?
Due to the cloning process, the DNA tissues begin to weaken after each new clone. Generally ten clones are guaranteed, with a random chance of a Death Penalty occurring thereafter with each new clone. There are means to decrease as well as increase the severity of the Death Penalty. Some equipment and wealth will be lost due to the taxation of the corporations (ie: Death Tax); but most will be passed on to other characters of the player's "house." Death is not to be taken lightly in Force of Arms. The game system itself will not be designed to kill characters outright. Death of character will generally result from a player making a mistake, using poor judgment, or taking too high of a risk. Incentives will be provided to have opposing players spare a character's life rather than kill it. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT, IN THE EVENT OF A TOTAL CHARACTER LOSS, SHOULD THAT BE POSSIBLE*, YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO START OVER AT LEVEL 1. FoA is not a game of levels, and new characters are fairly lethal in their own right. * This is still under discussion, with some possible options being considered. If you would like to take part in this discussion, go to:
http://www.forceofarms.com/msgbbs/index.php?topic=277.0 Back to top.
- Will there be Player Vs Player (PvP) and Player Vs Environment (PvE)?
There will be both, with PvP combat being conducted at the borders. Rules will be put into use to discourage "Griefing" and attacking players of the same side. Back to top.
6. CHARACTERS - How many characters do I control?
The player controls an outfit or a house (family). The player will control only one character at a time, but will be possible to command additional personnel. We are looking into the possibilities to allow players to have additional character slots on the same server. Back to top.
- Do I have to be aligned with a Faction?
No. Players may be non-aligned, preferring to be called as Independents or part of a non-aligned Mercenary Outfit. Back to top.
7. MECHS (Mechanized Armor) - So can you tell me about the Mechs?
We're so glad that you asked! Players are allowed to use Mechs from a Combat Tonnage rating from 5 tons up to 300 tons. The Combat Tonnage rating is not the maximum tonnage for a Mech; it is the optimal tonnage of which the Mech's internal structure is able to support; without performance degradation. Mechs can be designed to have two or four legs, a torso or hull (either a vertical or horizontal main body), a head, two arms, or up to three weapon pods. Weapon Pods are something to behold, which look similar to oversized containers housing a number of weapons. Additionally, Mechs may carry external weapons and equipment. There are several levels of technology (Tech Levels). Mechs may have equipment of different Tech Levels. Older technology is heavier, bigger, and has lower performance than newer technology. Older Mechs look similar to walking boxes or trashcans, while advanced Mechs appear more human-like. Mechs in Force of Arms use energy as a limitation to their capabilities rather than heat. The engine(s) of Mechs only provide up to a certain amount of energy, but can be augmented by batteries. A well-designed Mech will not suffer from energy problems, unless, due to battle damage or lack of maintenance. Energy Screens tend to be the power hogs for any Mech. Back to top.
- How will you be involved in the Mech/Mod community?
Wardog Studios is very aware of the knowledge, dedication, and skill of the Mech/Mod community, and has plans to involve player created content in our game. We believe very strongly that YOU should have some means of getting your content into the game, and if your effort is included, you should be compensated for it. Look for more information on this concept at a later time. Back to top.
- Will there be Transformable Mechs?
Yes Back to top.
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